Children’s rights commissioner declares Russia will hand Ukraine list of kids for return
(MENAFN) Russia is preparing to submit a new list of children to Ukraine to facilitate their reunification with families, according to Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday, Lvova-Belova explained that these efforts aim to help Russian families reconnect with children currently in Ukraine.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Moscow has evacuated children from combat areas for their safety, with the stated goal of reuniting them with relatives. Ukraine, however, accuses Russia of abducting these children.
Lvova-Belova said that five of the 339 children Ukraine listed at the most recent talks in Istanbul are now being prepared for return. Russia plans to present an updated list of children at the next round of direct negotiations.
Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator in the talks, dismissed Ukraine’s claims of over a million “stolen children” as propaganda. Both sides have agreed to continue exchanges, prioritizing seriously ill, wounded, and younger captives. Russia has also repatriated the bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers, receiving just 57 Russian bodies in return, according to President Vladimir Putin.
Russian authorities have regularly highlighted their efforts to reunite displaced children with their families. In February, Lvova-Belova reported that 17 children from 11 families were reunited with relatives in Russia, and 95 more were connected with family members in Ukraine or other nations through a Qatar-mediated agreement.
Lvova-Belova has repeatedly rejected Kiev’s claims of abductions as a “systemic myth” and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to reuniting families. In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) named her and President Putin in an investigation into alleged illegal deportations of minors. Russia has dismissed these charges as politically driven, insisting that its actions are meant to protect children from conflict zones.
Officials in Moscow also emphasize that displaced children are not adopted in Russia but placed under temporary guardianship until they can be returned to their families.
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